aionlogs | EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

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EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

The Cost of Innocence

INVESTIGATION

As the Aions arrive in Venera, they will find the natural beauty of the city in sharp contrast to its uncomfortable aura. Though the sun still shines and flowers still bloom in a place filled with physical vibrancy and life, the air itself is impossibly still, as if wind no longer blows. You can taste the stagnancy of it when you breathe, and the pleasant sights only make that feeling of absence more haunting. The streets are mostly empty, with most of the city's residents hiding away in their homes, fearing the touch of whatever illness has caused this. That is, all the citizens besides those most affected, who wander the streets in a lifeless and painless daze.

Normally, Venera would be occupied by both Hylician and Achamite soldiers, but it quickly becomes apparent that both have abandoned the city, only guarding its furthest outskirts. Their reasons vary: the Achamite soldiers seem to take religious objection to the feeling of the city, believing it to be some trickery of the Innocent, while the Hylicians simply see it as a plague they have no interest in catching or spreading. Because of this, it will be easy for Aions of both sects to explore with little pushback from any form of law enforcement. The Kenoma will be directed into the city with warnings about the potential physical and spiritual danger while Pleroma will be able to sneak in mostly unbothered. After all, no one is eager to follow you.

Most shops and businesses are currently closed, though some uninfected individuals still nervously keep watch over their workplaces, fearing potential looting. It's difficult, but not impossible, to find people to talk to, and while the most plentiful wanderers are the infected, the reactions from those with their minds still intact will vary. Some will be eager to speak to anyone who looks like they're trying to do something about their situation, desperate for any source of outside help. If revealed you are an Aion, this may either entice them even further or cause them to retreat, as if fearing that you are somehow to blame for their plight. For those that are enticed, it will become clear that they hold onto faith that Aions are in Horos to save them, and will tell these new arrivals whatever they can without discriminating between sects.

The base level information that can be found is thus: the infection began at the same levels it has been in the rest of Horos, only for the numbers of the afflicted to rapidly accelerate upon the coming of the Innocent's Moon. Some see it as a form of divine punishment for their cooperation with the Regent, while the less cooperative citizens see it as a malady brought about by the Aions themselves, their only hope being that they will be able to clean up the mess they made. Some citizen have managed to corral their inflicted loves ones into their rooms and will be willing to introduce you; most of these individuals are past the point of conversation, and seem fully lost to whatever fantasy world they are experiencing. They are disinterested in eating or drinking and it seems like, without help, they are destined for a slow death of starvation and atrophy. That is, if their apathetic state doesn't result in a severe accident, as it has in many cases already.

Any other clues will take more dogged investigation. It will be a day or so after the majority of Aions have arrived in the city that the first signs of their own infections become clear.

HEAVENLY BODIES

The first to feel its effects will be the Innocents, Lovers, and Celebrants; like a voice has fully awakening to them, whispering of how their touch can be the cure to the others' pain. It bids them to take their fellow Aions into their loving embrace, to share this gift, as only suffering lies ahead. It expresses without words that it will be a shield for their Aion kindred, and that those that accept will become their outstretched hands to a cosmos that craves peace. Any form of physical contact with those three Legacies will either introduce or rapidly accelerate the infections experienced by the others, this effect only becoming more intense if the wielder intentionally forces the power of this strange entity into their victims.

Even without that accelerating touch, however, other Aions are not necessarily safe; the infection will still seep in, albeit more slowly. All Aions may experience a growing feeling of connection to the infected Venerans, as if the energy within them is being drawn into their their own bodies. As the Aion's symptoms worsen, the the ones suffered by the Venerans will gradually lessen, though not go away entirely. It seems that the Aions soaking up this strange power is enough to take the edge off of what is happening to the citizens: but at what cost?

Various symptoms will manifest in afflicted Aions with outcomes far more diverse and devastating than what the Veneran civilians have experienced. Visionaries, Firebrands, and Artisans will suffer the most catastrophic symptoms, the clash between their spiritual natures and that of the Innocence being the most extreme. This malady is characterized by its innate desire to quell its victims of their resistance, smothering them in artificial peace, even if it has to deprive them of their bodies and minds to do so.

It is not without treatment, however. It will gradually become apparent that feelings of intense suffering or upset are capable of purging the infection, that clash with painful reality seeming to wake them up from their trance and reduce or eliminate physical symptoms. The more intense the distress, the more effective it will be. Fortunately, this heightening of Aion spiritual energy has the added consequence of making empathic communion connections far more acute. Instead of just transmitting and receiving emotions and thoughts, Aions will find themselves more easily able to enter the delusions and memories of their kindred, drawing them out and manipulating them for this purpose. The catch is that they will only be able to access what is on the surface of the other Aion's mind.

When an infection is reduced or expelled this way, the energy causing it seems to be dispelled from the city, lowering the intensity of its ambient effects. While similar can be done to Veneran citizens to help treat them, the energy will not leave, and will either go into the Aion casting it out or return to the nebulous source of Innocence and eventually infect someone else. Something about going through the Aions specifically seems to act as a filter, as unpleasant of a way as it is to help.

IN THE SILENCE

For those unlucky enough to develop complete, or near complete, infections (IE. a full Innocence petrification) a presence will awaken within them regardless of their Legacy. It will urge them to join with it, to embrace the peace it offers, and to become the extensions of their will in this ravaged world. With an infection of this intensity, there will be little they can do but to hear its call. What exactly this would ultimately entail is unclear, but there is the sense that his entity is looking to join with you on a spiritual level. If your character becomes infected to this degree please let us know under the Committed Actions toplevel below along with the context of that transformation and whether or not they are being cured from it. You may receive some additional information in return!

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
The quickest travel paths are for Kenoma to take a boat from Achamoth, which will take about a day, and for Pleroma to teleport to the Celebrant's shrine and take either a carriage or river boat to the city (there are offshoot rivers not marked on the setting map). The riverboats would be the faster option option of the two, and would also take about a day. The carriages/delivery carts would be slower and take a couple days, but have relay access to horses and therefore could keep going overnight. Characters with flight are also able to use that, though flying right into the city might cause a bit of spectacle. Then again, none of the local law enforcement is eager to chase you at the moment.

Are Veneran civilians experiencing the same symptoms as the Aions?
Veneran civilians are only experiencing apathy/loss of self/daydreaming and maybe the loss of pigments/color for advanced cases. The more body horror orientated effects are Aion only and are being caused by their body's spiritual makeup.

Can 'cured' Aions be reinfected?
Yes! Even if cured or treated, symptoms can return or worsen again. This will keep happening until the build up of Innocence energy in Venera is entirely expunged, at which point the illness will fade away across the continent. Whether or not the Aions mere presence will be enough to trigger that is yet unknown, but it does seem to be helping lessen the effects suffered by the civilians, at least.

How long does the infection period last in Aions?
Chronologically, we are considering the infection period of the plot to last 2-3 days.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No, no-- not quite a giant, per se, but--

[ hm. HMM. how does one describe Miss Hayame...

he's giving this a good and momentary mull-over before he walks his fingers across the table like they're legs, making horse...... noises, ]

She has an equine body? Sort've. I mean-- I think the torso is entirely human, but the bottom part is all... horse? Yes, like a centaur~!

Oh, wow.... there's no way I would've forgotten someone like that. I've definitely never seen her!

[ This is what she gets for not keeping track of all the Pleroma that were at the shrines, she guesses. A centaur? Misa spends a fair amount of time thinking about how she's supposed to face off against regular human shaped Aions, but thinking about there being such a mythical creature on the other is.. hm.... ]

I mean, she's gotta be taller than even you then, right?

Oh, yes-- taller and far more terrifying than I could ever hope to be...? Miss Misa, when I say this woman is... is some sort of nightmarish-- h-haha, nightMARE, do you get it-- nightmarish, um... sh-she's like the boogeyman, I mean it!! Horrible!! She... she smashed me right on down under one of her giant hooves and nearly broke my tailbone in twain, I'm not kidding you!!

[ ""friendly"" fire...?! wow, those in Achamoth are having cute parties and enjoying the finer things in life while the Pleroma are out here literally kicking one another's asses,

help, ]

Huh? She kicked you?

[ Misa sounds a bit— well, incredulous, because on the one hand, getting trampled by a horse(girl) doesn't seem like something someone should be able to dust themselves off of so easily, and on the other, had she really just done it randomly? ]

What do you mean, she just attacked you unprovoked? That's scary...

[ now she's scared she's gonna get attacked by this phantom horsewoman if she makes eye contact??? ]

Utterly unprovoked!! COMPLETELY out of the blue, it was terrible...! Traumatizing, even!

[ he shakes his head in unadulterated anguish, clutching the hand not engaged in holding his delectable treat to his chest. ]

--She could've killed me, you know?! I-I was bruised for a good week, Miss Misa, i... it was terrible, sometimes I have nightmares about her looming over my bed at night, ca-can you imagine...?! I'm scarred for life!! You have to keep your distance, alright...? There's no telling what she's capable of, and I hate to think of your precious cute little face being squished by those massive hooves, I-- I don't think I could bear the thought...

I don't like the sound of that...

[ That in-fighting like that even happened on the other side, that is. Or that someone so menacing would even get brought to Horos. She takes Abel's words completely at face value, leaning both her elbows on the table. ]

There's no way I can outrun a horse. I'll just have to hide if I see her? [ The hand that's not holding her pastry, she uses to prop up her cheek as she looks up in genuine thought. ] —But don't you worry too much about me, Abel. Misa always figures things out in situations like that... it's you that I'm more worried about.

[ Despite her apparent sense of worry over encountering this alleged menace, she seems relatively confident about being able to stay out of trouble. ]

[ o-oh... this reaction has him leaning in a bit more in response, settling his own elbows on the table and blinking at her curiously behind the lenses of his glasses. Misa is resourceful-- that isn't entirely shocking; he could believe her able to charm most people out of the clothes on their back if she wanted to... but...

hiding from Hayame seems like a good bid regardless; that woman isn't the type to be charmed or swayed by words, and if she believed the Kenoma her enemy - Abel really is terrified of what she might do to his little friend, here. perhaps he had ulterior motives outside the usual Idiocy in bringing this up; all's well that ends well, right?? ]

Really...? Y-you're... worried about me, Miss Misa? Well, that's rather fair considering that I'm a man of weak constitution and not especially cut out for this sort of-- y... you know, with the...

[ he pantomimes an uppercut or something with a "pschew" sound effect. whatever, ]

...But I assure you~! I have no intentions of tossing myself into any sort of reckless situations, so-- so it really is good to hear you say the same! I don't know what I'd do if anything were to happen to you...

[ and perhaps past all the happy-go-lucky vibes here... there is a sincere earnestness in that. he is certainly fond of her, and she is one of those who tugs at every heartstring he possesses to think of her where she is.

ah. ...Misa. ]

You're taking care, right...? I mean-- staying away from any of those, um... the more action-y sorts...?

[ She laughs good-naturedly at his seemingly worried questions, brushing off implications of danger quite easily.. It's as she's said— she really believes she'll figure most things out, come what may. Nerve-wracking as it is to hear about someone blatantly violent (and non-human?), at least in most matters, she feels she'll have it under control. ]

Oh, I'm doing fine. You know, pretty much everyone in the Kenoma's strong. I can't avoid them all. [ Most of them very strong, and many of them very prone to fighting. Misa doesn't mention this to worry him, exactly— but more to tell him that no matter where she is, she can manage. ] But mostly everyone knows Misa is a normal girl. So it's actually more accurate to say those action-y types are the ones that ignore me.

[ Rather, they don't even bother roping her into action or training - most that lay eyes on her write her off as a non-issue within minutes of meeting her. It's just the way of things, and she doesn't mind in the least. And it's to her benefit, too - for her image, and for her own safety in the long run, so she doesn't mind sharing this information with him. Misa shrugs, taking another heaping bite of her treat, the look in her eyes still faintly amused from his pantomiming. His words leave her wondering... ]

It's probably the same for your side, right? Unless you're trying to say there's more I should stay away from?

[ her confidence IS comforting; Abel isn't quite sure what the dynamic is like among the Kenoma, but from those he spoke to... at least it hadn't sounded outright dangerous or even particularly cutthroat (little does he know, where certain parties are involved... ahem). it was one of his fears, one he'd continue to harbor all the same - the nature of the Kenoma and servitude to a figurehead like the Regent meant that things would be tense, that self-serving interests might come into play. he doesn't want to see Misa embroiled in that. this is to say nothing about the potential for inter-sect conflict one day - one neither of them may be able to avoid.

maybe it's inevitable as the stakes keep getting higher, but... ]

I don't know, to be honest with you. It isn't as though there aren't plenty of Pleroma who dislike the way of things as much as I do-- you know, who will sit down and gladly have a chat even as things are, but...

[ "but," of course... ]

There are some who don't see eye-to-eye with me. And the longer all of us are separated like this, I feel... it's only a matter of time before something gives, don't you think?

[ At that— she turns thoughtful, actually considering the matter seriously rather than deflecting with yet another distraction. The matter of the Pleroma and the Kenoma is something she takes very, very seriously, after all, much as her lighthearted attitude seems to imply otherwise. For a few long moments, she looks away in thought, her done-up features relaxing into a comfortable, relaxed neutral. ]

Until both sides start fighting in the open you mean, right?

[ Misa says that bluntly, bringing a knuckle to her lip to wipe a stray crumb from there. That people will inevitably be pitted against each other is a fact of the situation— she knows that. It doesn't frighten her so much as it makes her a tinge depressed, over her assumption that many of the Pleroma, like Abel, that she enjoys talking to, could eventually be crushed under the Regent's heel. That "something will give"— yes, she does think that will come to pass. And from her view, it doesn't seem like it'll be in the Pleroma's favor. ]

If it comes to that, what do you plan on doing, Abel?

[ Her question is an openly honest one— though she doesn't look at him when she asks it, sounding as naively curious as someone might when asking whether their friend will choose head or tails in a coin toss. Misa does want to know his stance, though she doesn't want to ask the question with too much weight behind it, lest it come off... investigative, rather than innocent. ]

[ the openness of that question takes him by surprise, admittedly - but Misa always seems so terribly earnest, like an open book. Abel takes it in for a beat, hesitating before he nudges around some crumbs on the tabletop distractedly in search of something to take the bite out of this topic of conversation. ]

I suppose there's only one thing to do, right?

[ he wonders if she feels the same way he does. Abel genuinely wants to believe it's possible, wants to believe that someone who shared the sincere wish - a kind world - would hold the same sort of sentiments as he does. ]

...I don't want to see anyone hurt, don't want to let anyone hurt others if I can help it. But if there's no choice, then... even if there is only so much I can do--

[ he'll do it. exercise every possible avenue to lessen the bloodshed and prevent needless loss of life, even if he'll desperately continue to hope it won't come to that. ]

Sometimes we find a way to do things even we might not believe ourselves capable of when the time comes. And I hope when it does... if it does, you and I can help one another despite it.

[ Perhaps to her detriment, her head tilts at his words, a diluted, genuine confusion running underneath her passive expression. When she thinks of the big picture, she supposes such an answer is logical from Abel— he's a priest, isn't he? That makes him a pacifist, or something akin to it, right? Still, he's the only Pleroma she's ever heard of blatantly saying he hopes he'll be able to help her, specifically when the going gets tough. It's humbling, in a way, and it makes it that much harder for her to keep herself from getting truly, actually attached to him. ]

Aw, Abel... you're gonna get in big trouble saying stuff like that.

[ With his comrades, right? Now that he's confirmed it, she's sure there are Pleroma who wouldn't help her in a pinch no matter what. There's almost a chastising tone to the way she says it, pursing her lips in a gentle pout. Idly, she fidgets with the wrapper still wrapped around the remaining part of her pastry, folding and unfolding the corner over and over again, for once uncertain of what she should say. ]

You'd really help me if you get a chance to? Even though we're not on the same side?

[ There's a faint disbelief, perhaps borne out of her own assumptions about what she should do if given the opportunity to help the Pleroma. On Earth, someone saying this to her would be an advantage to exploit— it should be that here, too, but... he's different, from the high school friends and business partners she's had to burn for her cause before. Everything's different now. ]

[ it seems that all traces of the fool have gone and evaporated into something far more earnest; the remnants of his pastry - little more than crumbs and wrinkled paper, now - are good as forgotten in his hand as he reaches the other to gently touch her forearm. ]

...Do you remember what I told you back at the cavern?

[ this is of grave importance to him. that she takes this seriously - that she understands this isn't mere lip service, that he isn't speaking from a place of empty or hollow conviction. ]

If you need me-- if you call me, I will always come, Miss Misa. The only side I'm on is my own.

[ his fingers lightly, delicately, curl at the fabric of her sleeve. ]

So that means I'm with you. Okay? Please don't forget it.

[ It would certainly be more her style to jokingly ask, what's with the serious face? in attempt to brush off the gravity of his words— but the earnestness there, the gentle touch at her arm, prevent her from doing so. Because she feels that solemnity radiating from him.

Misa's no stranger to having others protect or help her, is not even a stranger to others being willing to die for her. But those who had come before Abel were either lesser men, expecting something in return, or supernatural beings with whom there was always some kind of emotional distance that made it easy for her to imagine letting go of them. While she should be moved, touched, or simply refuse his offer, the first feeling that comes to her is one of confusion, perhaps visible in her blank stare, momentarily puzzled by his motivations. It's been a long time since she's felt the genuine care of a friend - in a serious matter, at least. The feeling made worse perhaps by the fact that she doesn't feel she deserves it in the least, not after the cavern, nor after the conviction that's only grown in her heart. ]

Huh? If you're really sure....

[ The words come out uncharacteristically hesitant, her gaze falling on him searchingly. For some sign of what compels this— pity? Some kind of trap? Feelings for her? No, it doesn't seem like any of those, so she's left at a slight loss, as she curls her fingers around his own sleeve, giving him a tentative tug back. She can't offer the same consideration to him, but she can at least give him an indication that she's taking what he's said very seriously. ]

You have to promise me one thing in return, then. [ She grips the fabric there on his sleeve a little tighter, addressing the level of danger of their situation for once. There's a certainty, a finality to her words, like she sees no other way of how things may play out. ] Don't act out too much. You'll get hurt...

[ And I don't want that, goes unsaid. ]

Edited 2022-07-06 04:59 (UTC)

[ the expression in her eyes, her face, tells him far more than her verbal reply.

...Abel's grip slides when he feels her fingers tighten in his sleeve in return, shifts so that he can grip her slender fingers in his own. while his touch is very gentle, it is also no doubt holding a great measure of his fervency in it - he wishes he could show her... wishes that things were different, here. that they had more time to talk than these fleeting, momentary snippets when their paths crossed. if he were given that chance-- if she were given that chance...

things don't have to be this way. they could be better - for her... for everyone.

to see there is a light here, a connection - a tenuous bond that could be so much more if it were granted enough time to bloom, Abel's heart aches with bitter longing. he would like it - a world in which the two of them could be uncomplicated friends. he thinks Misa might like that, too. ]

I'm-- [ ...a mild hesitation, before his fingers tighten just ever-so-slightly further. ]

...I promise.

[ there is nothing for her to worry about. Abel is not the one worth that concern in the least. but she is... she is. she is. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

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oh my god this icon. poor meowmeow

misa please pity him (do not do this)

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